About Me

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Pre Spring

It
is Pre-Spring here in the Willamette Valley. The clouds are higher and break
more often. There is sun on greening grass. It’s been hailing pretty regularly.
The English Department all stood outside on Monday afternoon, looking at the
bare fig tree. It’s coming, we agreed. There may still be snow—the hope for a
snow day never fades until May—but Spring is coming.

Signs of Pre-Spring—one of the
Willamette Valley’s many seasons:

Snowdrops and primroses

Hail and sun, hail and sun

Green grass, growing fast

Eggs, both brown and white

Mud

Very thick moss on the trees

“For rent”
signs

Long, slow steady days in the classroom

Seeds sprouting in my classroom—broccoli, leeks,
tomatoes

The Book Frenzy is this weekend.

Witch Hazel and Forsythia bloom

High skies, huge puffy clouds.

Mushrooms are growing on the storm windows.

A Winter Pizza

Pizza is an easy dinner if you are making the bread dough
ahead and keeping it in the fridge full time. You just need to make sure it
isn’t oatmeal raisin dough.

Take half of the dough from the bowl and spread it round on
a pizza pan. Let is rise for 45 minutes.

Slice an onion thinly. Chop up some good olives and garlic.
Sprinkle both on the dough and cover with grated cheese—cheddar and mozzarella
are best. Add about a teaspoon of thyme
to the surface.

Bake in 400 degree oven until almost done. About four
minutes before it is finished, cover with chopped arugula and slide back in.
The last few minutes cooks the greens as well.